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You are here: Home / Archives for comics

comics

Action Comics Annual #1: The Game?

March 8, 2019 By David Cutler

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

I’ve read a great deal of Superman comics in my lifetime. One of my favourites is 1987’s Action Comics Annual #1. To me, it’s one of the most entertaining and enthralling comics I own. The comic, written by one of my favourite comic book writers, John Byrne, should be made into a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment game.

It’s a four-word pitch: Superman, Batman and vampires.

The comic is oddly titled “Skeeter,” but “Cry Vampire” is on the cover. It’s not really clear, but “Cry Vampire” sounds a lot better than “Skeeter.”

The story takes place in Fayerville, South Carolina; a town near swamp land. Batman finds himself in the town because he’s been working three days straight investigating a series of Gotham City murders that leads him to Fayerville. He calls Clark Kent at the Daily Planet for some assistance. When Superman arrives in Fayerville, he realises that vampires are to blame for several grisly deaths. Batman tries to help a young, blond haired girl named Skeeter (the annual’s title). He quickly realises she is the vampire that has been terrifying the town.

What makes the comic truly gripping is that Superman is helpless to the supernatural when he fights Skeeter. She injures him by raking her claws across the S on his chest. Superman is rarely vulnerable to anything on Earth. I won’t tell you the ending, but Batman comes through in the clutch.

The game could be a third-person perspective, action-adventure game which focuses on Batman and Superman’s combat abilities in the swamps and around the town. Superman could take hoards of vampires out with his heat vision. In Annual #1, the Man of Steel doesn’t fly very much and he’s mostly grounded throughout the story. Batman could use his punching ability and various gadgets to take down blood suckers. Two-person play could get interesting. They could also complete side missions away from the main story.

I’ve really enjoyed the “Batman: The Telltale Series” for PS4. Action Comics Annual #1 could be a perfect adaptation for that series of video games.

Filed Under: Modern Gaming Tagged With: 1, Action Comics, Action Comics Annual, Action Comics Annual #1: The Game?, Action Comics Annual no 1, Batman, Batman: The Telltale Series, Clark Kent, comics, Cry Vampire, Daily Planet, DC Cutler, future video game, Game, Gotham City, Man of Steel, PlayStation 4, PS4, Skeeter, Superman, vampires

PAX Aus 2018 Cosplay Highlights

November 1, 2018 By ausretrogamer

PAX Aus would not be half the event that it is without the spectacle cosplay!

We were lucky enough to have our good friends at REE Photography and Ms Ausretrogamer capture the amazing cosplay while roaming the grounds of PAX Aus. So sit back and enjoy the highlights, but be warned, you will be thoroughly gobsmacked by the spectacle!

Zel T and Combustible Props – photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

Kuma and Junko (aka: Kelly Deluxe) – photo by: Ms. Ausretrogamer

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REE Photography
The new and awesome photography service that captures all of your special moments from pop culture and gaming events.

Like REE Photography on Facebook

 

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: comics, Cosplay, Cosplayers, NPC, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX Aus 2018, PAX Aus Cosplay, PAX Australia, PAX Cosplay, PAXAus, PAXAus 2018, PAXAus Cosplay, REE Photography, video game

Marvel’s Joe Fixit Deserves a Game Piece

October 15, 2018 By ausretrogamer

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

When I devoured The Incredible Hulk comics growing up, I always liked it when the writers had Hulk take on the identity of Joe Fixit, a shadowy behind the scenes figure, working in Las Vegas on behalf of a corrupt casino owner, Michael Berengetti. Joe Fixit was a morally vague Vegas enforcer and tough guy.

Joe Fixit seems like an obvious choice for a video game. Grey Hulk in his dark suit and fedora, creating carnage across Sin City seems perfect for an Android or console game.

Joe Fixit could be assigned a task by shady casino owner, Michael Berengetti, and the game could follow Fixit throughout a night in Vegas fighting off bad guys around Vegas landmarks.

Fixit could fight a bunch of hoodlums on the Ghostbar balcony of The Palms Casino. He could do battle with some baddies in the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower. All of Vegas could be Joe Fixit’s playground in this game. The game could be a Mortal Kombat or Mafia sort of format. There could be a lot of dark alley fights, where Fixit, in the comics, would brawl with several villains. A fight in or around the Bellagio fountains pool could be a fun set piece.

Joe Fixit is a playable character in Marvel: Contest of Champions. I highly recommend a Fixit and Juggernaut battle; it’s a thrill if you’re a fan of the two characters. A Fixit game could have the sharp graphics of Contest of Champions, but its gameplay and mission could be like Nintendo’s original Double Dragon. Not exactly like a level game, but each Vegas landmark stage could be Fixit getting closer to completing his mission. What Marvel villain could be waiting for Joe Fixit at the final stage? The developers would have an enormous catalogue of villains to choose from. Kingpin or Juggernaut in a casino high-rise on The Strip?

Sometimes, I still break out my back issues of The Incredible Hulk when Joe Fixit appeared. Oh… Joe Fixit fighting a bunch of hoods dressed as pirates at Treasure Island. That could be a visual feast for gamers.

image source: Marvel Database

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: comics, DC Cutler, Las Vegas, Mafia, Marvel, Marvel Joe Fixit, Mortal Kombat, Sin City, The Incredible Hulk, The Strip, Vegas, Video Games

Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen Visits Melbourne

August 29, 2018 By ausretrogamer

While in Melbourne-town for the Melbourne eSports Open, author, presenter and broadcaster extraordinaire, Stephanie ‘Hex’ Benidxsen had a bit of down time to check out the many awesome pop culture sites, gaming establishments and other extremely rad geeky stuff that our great city has to offer!

As Hex says, “Luckily Melbourne is a hub of gaming and pop-culture-related activity” – it sure is! if you haven’t checked out all of these places, then you are missing out!


source: Visit Melbourne via Facebook

 

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Exploring, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Bartronica, comics, Game Of Thrones, Good Game, Hex, Melbourne eSports Open, Minotaur, pinball, Pinball Paradise, Pinball Press, Pop culture, screenPLAY, Stephanie Bendixsen, Visit Melbourne

Boom! Stern Pinball Unleashes Deadpool

August 9, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Yesterday Stern Pinball Inc. announced their latest pinball machine, Deadpool. Based on the Marvel comics (not the movies), Stern seems to have captured the real essence of the Marvel character, thanks to the artwork by famed artist, Jeremy Packer, also known as Zombie Yeti.

True to the Deadpool character, Stern have thrown in some really clever, funny and backhanded insults, taunts and other comments all over their three Deadpool pinball machine models (Pro, Premium and Limited Edition (LE)) – check them out below. We particularly love the “OOOH, YOU’RE FANCY!” one on the LE plaque.

Oh yeah, the backboard LCD screen graphics will definitely take you back to your 80s and 90s video game days with their pixelated imagery – the nostalgia is overwhelming!

Designed by George Gomez with coding lead by Tanio Klyce, the Deadpool Pro model will hit Australian shores in October, followed by the Premium and LE models in late November (subject to change).

We can’t wait to get to Zax Amusements to fight some ninjas and get insulted! BOOM!

Price (in AUD with GST):

  • Deadpool Pro $8,450.00
  • Deadpool Premium $10,650.00
  • Deadpool LE (limited to 500) $12,950.00 (may be sold out by the time you read this!)

Image source: Stern Pinball Inc.

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Pinball Tagged With: Chimichanga, comics, Deadpool, Deadpool LE, Deadpool Pinball, Deadpool Pinball Comic, Deadpool Premium, Deadpool Pro, Gary Stern, George Gomez, Jeremy Packer, Marvel, Marvel Stern, Ninja, Nolan North, pinball, Pinball Press, Stern, Stern Pinball, Stern Pinball Deadpool, Tanio Klyce, Zombie Yeti

Pop Culture Temptations

July 6, 2018 By ausretrogamer

It is quite dangerous working near cool pop culture stores in Melbourne. Within a stones throw from the office, we have Minotaur, All-Star Comics Melbourne and  ZiNG Pop Culture tempting us with their wares.

With mid-year sales going on right now, the temptation is unbearable – sorry wallet…

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Action Figures, Alien, All-Star Comics Melbourne, board games, boardgames, Books, comics, Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden Legacy Of the Beast, Minotaur Pop Culture, Mortal Kombat, MOTU, NES, nintendo, Pac-Man, Pop culture, Pop Culture store, Predator, shopping, Super Mario Bros, UNO, Video Games, Zelda, Zing Pop Culture

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Highlights

June 14, 2018 By ausretrogamer

If you missed out on attending Oz Comic-Con 2018 in Melbourne, we have you covered!

With our trusty cameras in tow (thanks Alan Ly!), we snapped quite a few photos (over 60 photos actually) to make you feel like you were there, from awesome cosplay, comic book creators, artists, vendors with tempting gear, to a Star Wars X-Wing waiting for you to enter its cockpit and some Doom shenanigans at Bethesda’s booth.

Scroll through and enjoy what was a pretty epic Oz Comic-Con 2018!

If you made it this far, please consider supporting us by shouting us a coffee so we can keep bringing you heaps more awesome content! Thank you.

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Actors, Art, Comic Con, comics, Cosplay, event, gamers, gaming, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018, Retro Gaming, Star Wars

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2018 Ticket Giveaway!

May 7, 2018 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, June 9 and 10!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double passes to the Melbourne event. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic giveaway?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, May 21 (entries close at midday on that day)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing of how awesome this event is, check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Actor, Art, Artists, Comic Con, comics, Competition, Cosplay, events, ff0000, Games, Giveaway, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2018, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Pop culture

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017: Unleashing Our Inner Geek

July 2, 2017 By ausretrogamer

If you missed out on Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017, then don’t fret, we are here to unleash your inner geek with these very cool photos!

To say we can’t wait for Oz Comic-Con 2018 would be a great understatement.

Let’s do this!

The new old order

Another great turnout!

Where to begin? That is the million dollar question…

The Dude abides

The Force is strong with this lot

Go Go Gadget Cosplay!

The detail is amazing!

The Doctor may be regenerating!

Ms ausretrogamer finds the Tardis!

We knew it wouldn’t take long to find Pikachu *wink*

Do you want to build a snowman?

Lego Spyro!

Chomp, chomp, chomp – Lego Pac-Man (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Melbourne Lego User Group (MUGs) represent!

Lego science!

Lego Super Mario Bros.

The legendary couple!

Guardians Of Oz Comic-Con

He has been upgraded

Glide to the PAX Challenge 

In space no one can hear you scream

MOTU Classics!

Bumped into some cool peeps from Retro Domination (Matt and Tim)!

Perfect welcome mat for our Fun Factory

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.

Found the retro gaming loot!

Why is Nintendo loot always behind glass? *wink*

Whoa!

Winter has come!

Choose your weapon!

The great wall of Pop!

Whoa, Halo!

BB-8 made a friend

Who you gonna call?

Where is Han?

Wow, Wonder Woman!

Walkers everywhere!

Sanic and Josh (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Henry and the Fallout crew (photo source: Sean Tagg)

Marvel Star Wars!

Snootchie Bootchies

Another great wall – the scribble wall

A smiling (awesome) Hellboy

And the Oz Comic-Con Melbourne Cosplay winner is, Kayla Jean… (photo source: Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg)

Till next year…

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Actors, Art, comics, Cosplay, Cosplayer, Kayla Jean Cosplay, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2017, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, PAX Aus, Pop culture, Twitch

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2017 Ticket Giveaway!

June 21, 2017 By ausretrogamer

*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

Hey peeps, Oz Comic-Con is coming to Melbourne on July 1 and 2!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Oz Comic-Con, we are thrilled to be giving away two double 2-day passes. So what do you need to do to win this fantastic prize?

Simply subscribe to our newsletter, then email us at [email protected] to confirm your entry. We’ll be choosing the two lucky winners at random on Monday, June 26 (entries close at midday)! Oh yeah, one final bit of info, you will need to find your own way (and accommodation) to Melbourne.

CLAIMING TICKETS
At the conclusion of the giveaway, the winners details will be provided to Oz Comic-Con. The winners names will then be placed on the door list at the Media Check-In Desk, where they will be able to collect their wristbands for entry. If the winners are outside of Melbourne, then they are responsible for their own transport and accommodation.

If you need any convincing, just check out the highlights from Oz Comic-Con Melbourne 2016.

image source: Oz Comic-Con

 

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: Actor, Art, Artists, Comic Con, comics, Competition, Cosplay, events, ff0000, Games, Giveaway, Oz Comic Con, Oz Comic-Con 2017, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, Pop culture

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